HUD Update: HUD Requests Comments on New Federal Lead Strategy

Recently, HUD requested public comment on a new federal lead strategy being developed by the Lead Subcommittee of the President’s Task Force on Environmental Health Risks and Safety Risks to Children. Please submit any comments by COB, November 22, 2017.

The taskforce, which was established in 1997, is developing a comprehensive strategy to further reduce lead exposure in children’s environments. HUD co-chairs the Lead Subcommittee, along with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Key components of the draft federal lead strategy include a vision and mission that eliminate harm from lead exposure to children; a background section that includes information about the task force and about lead exposure in general; and a set of goals and objectives.

While HUD welcomes comments on all aspects of the drafting of a new federal lead strategy, HUD is particularly interested in receiving comments and data on the following:

Priority Risks and Goals

What priority risks, for example, exposures from housing, air, water, soil, food, etc., and issues should be addressed in a new federal lead strategy?

Should any of the suggested goals above be deleted or revised, and/or should any goals be added? Within the suggested goals above (as stated, or as you would revise them), or additional goals, what specific objectives should be identified?

Strategy Development and Implementation

What actions should be implemented to address these priority risks and issues?

What obstacles should be considered in determining which actions to include in the strategy? What obstacles pertain to one or more goals, objectives, or actions? Please be specific about the anticipated impact of the obstacles.

How can the obstacles be overcome? What effect, if any, would the effort to overcome these obstacles have on the ability to achieve the goals of the strategy?

Messaging and Outreach

What federal agency messaging regarding lead exposure in children, including information on where lead is found and how to avoid exposure, have been useful in the past and to which audiences? How could such messaging be improved?

Which non-Federal partners should the Task Force consult with to address the environmental health risks and safety risks of lead exposure to children, and why? Please identify specific organizations, or categories of organizations.